Allied Premier League kicked off on Friday, 30th September with 6 teams battling for glory. The tape ball corporate tournament was divided up into two pools with Pool A matches being played between Rental Titans, Sales Warriors and Service Dolphins.
Service Dolphins v Sales Warriors
Service Dolphins batted first and were off to a rocky starting, losing their opener Saad on the first ball to a fine piece of bowling by Ali. The team gained stability then with Nasir and Waqar contributing runs with the bat and keeping the scoreboard ticking. The team lost wickets in regular intervals with Warriors bowler Irfan picking up 3 key wickets and doing damage with the ball. Hunain was the stand out batsman for his side with a fiery 23 runs at a strike rate of over 250. Service Dolphins eventually posted a target of 96 in 8 overs.
Sales Warriors stumbled in their chase, losing opener Rizwan to a brilliant piece of fielding for just 5 runs. The team lost both their openers in quick succession before Irfan and Ali stepped in to stabilize the innings, building a formidable partnership and increasing their team's chances of winning. Dolphins bowler Saad eventually made the breakthrough, knocking over Irfan's wicket and guiding his team to victory. Sales Warriors were eventually limited to 89 runs in their 8 overs. Sales Warriors won by 7 runs.
Sales Warriors v Rental Titans
Rental Titans batted first and were off to an absolutely flying start with opener Sumair turning up the heat with an incredible 68 run knock. His partner Naveed also contributed a valuable 38 runs to set the foundation for a massive total. Warriors bowlers were helpless against a brutal opposition, unable to take wickets when needed or control the flow of runs. Rental Titans set a target of 139 runs in 8 overs.
Sales Warriors needed an extraordinary innings to chase down this total. The team struggled with form, unable to gain stability and momentum at any stage of the innings. Opener Aziz lost his wicket early for just 2 runs. Titans bowlers did well to restrict the opposition, striking at key times and retaining control throughout the innings. Naveed, Asad and Jawad picked up 1 wicket each. With no considerable partnership and no notable contributions, Sales Warriors eventually managed only 58 runs in 8 overs. Rental Titans won by 81 runs.
Rental Titans and Service Dolphins were the top two teams in their pool and have advanced to the next round.